Ultimately, developer Sam Chong wants to build an apartment tower on the block of land and has engaged Noel Robinson Architects to design the tower.

Two Queensland University of Technology adjunct professors - town planner Phil Heywood and the project’s architect Noel Robinson - have taken different views on the proposed demolition.

Professor Heywood said protecting the streetscape should be a challenge to the local council, while Professor Robinson said the buildings were simply not worth protecting.

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Professor Robinson is in the process of designing a luxury hotel for the site.

‘‘The exact design for the site has not yet been settled, but this is a world-class opportunity which can accommodate a 300-room, five-star hotel and approximately 500 apartments over 60 levels,’’ he said.

A council public relations officer said councillors would not speak about the demolition application until it was processed, but provided some information which has already been published.

While Lord Mayor Graham Quirk is on holidays - Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner has written to heritage protection group Brisbane Heritage, which now has more than 1000 signatures opposing the demolition.

He told the group he has passed their views on to council’s planning team.

‘‘As this application is still under assessment, it would not be appropriate for me to make any further comment on what the outcome of the assessment might be,’’ Cr Schrinner writes.

‘‘It is important to note that this site currently has two existing approved applications on it, including a 23-storey building which was approved in 1992. Both applications include demolition.’’

Cr Schrinner said council’s Heritage Unit had completed a review of the three buildings in 2009.

As Fairfax Media has already published, the O’Reilly’s Bonded Stores Building with the sign established in 1864, refers to the date the company established in Brisbane.

The O’Reilly’s Bonded Store building was built in 1913 and altered in late 1940s, 1950s and in the 1970s.

Because the buildings have been altered they do not fit the guidelines for either council, or state government heritage protection guidelines.

Council opposition leader Milton Dick said Lord Mayor Graham Quirk should protect Brisbane's past and prevent the buildings from being demolished.

“I’m worried about the future of our city if we have a lord mayor and a proposed planning scheme that rolls over to developers who want to bulldoze historic buildings in our city,” he said.

“I’ve long expressed concerns that the draft new City Plan doesn’t do enough to protect Brisbane’s historic buildings from demolition and I’m worried we’ll see more inappropriate development if the draft new City Plan is passed in its current form.

Councillors will vote on Brisbane’s new City Plan in three weeks.

59 comments so far

Wrong Wrong - the buildings need protecting - end of story - I'm so tied of LNP/Liberal / National party Governments who have no sense of History for the City Of Brisbane , all they think about is tear it down and put up an Office Block to make some mate rich - and everyone can see they have a pretty good track record of doing this over the years. This Bad Policy and Bad Governance

Commenter

Michael Loane

Location

Ashgrove

Date and time

January 09, 2014, 12:24PM

So frustrating! Whilst Sydney is a bit older they have kept so much more of their old buildings and it gives their city centre so much more character. I am not talking about colonial buildings either - even to see many 1930's to 1950's buildings is quite appealing. It is imperative to state the obvious in that once these are gone they are gone forever.. Preservation is not just about preserving buildings built by convicts. The 50 year old buildings never get to 100 if we knock them down - the 150 year old buildings never get to 300 if we knock them down. Brisbane has already lost way too much of it's past which makes hanging on to what is left so much more important. . .

Commenter

Craig

Location

Brisbane

Date and time

January 09, 2014, 1:55PM

Have you seen the buildings (other than the photos). In years to come will we be retaining Kennards Storage buildings because they have historical significance? They are, if not anything else, eyesores with no historical significance to Brisbane or Australia.

Commenter

Ken(nards)

Date and time

January 09, 2014, 2:52PM

The Queensland Club want the buildings down for health and safety reasons, there are vagrants in there throwing stuff out onto cars – it's a disaster."

The QLD Club. Well that says it all really.

The second issue concerning rubbish is not even an issue that can be taken seriously. Easily rectified. Not a permanent nor substantial problem whatsoever.

This first issue of deterioration sounds like a total "fabrication" and a whitewash to me. It seems very much a done deal.

I seriously doubt that the building is as badly deteriorated as Robinson says and am much more inclined to think that some grubby deal has been done by developers.

It's an enduring embarrassment to Brisbane and QLD as a whole, that the local governments of other Australian cities have managed to preserve most of their older treasured buildings - even putting money to their restoration.

In this city-state however the White Shoe Brigade is alive and well and still embraces the "If it moves shoot if if it doesn't knock it down" redneck mentality. Will Brisbane ever ever learn?QLD perfect one day, demolished the next.

Commenter

Julian

Date and time

January 09, 2014, 3:22PM

The test in this case perhaps is not whether the buildings deserve heritage listing, but rather will the newer building improve the streetscape.

As someone who walks past these buildings every day, they are certainly not beautiful by any means. But when I visit the architect's website, and see the remarkably ugly designs for previous buildings they have built, and that I can only assume would also grace this site, I can wholeheartedly say that I would much prefer the current red brick to remain.

Do we really need more boxy designs that will look so very dated in about 10 years time?

Commenter

Titus

Date and time

January 09, 2014, 12:28PM

Approval of the demolition would be an unfortuante decision - made worse by any jsutification of the G20 to expedite the provision of an inner city dog park.... I cant really see Obama or Cameron taking their pooches down there during the congress...

Commenter

Brisbane Town Planner

Location

Brisbane

Date and time

January 09, 2014, 12:32PM

This is madness. Has Joh risen from the dead?

Commenter

Wombat

Date and time

January 09, 2014, 12:36PM

I doubt it, we would have affordable housing if he did!

Commenter

Michael K

Location

Brisbane

Date and time

January 09, 2014, 9:11PM

Another win for the LNP developer doners, they are certainly getting value for money!!!!

Commenter

WatchOut

Date and time

January 09, 2014, 12:55PM

Why would anyone want to keep any heritage buildings, tear the whole lot down starting with the Brisbane City Hall. Hold on that's right we just spent a fortune on it. It seems that this LNP council only wants to keep monuments of architecture that they deem worth saving bugger everything else.

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